Eighth Night
by XVnot15
Summary: As promised Andy joins the three Priestly ladies for Eighth night Chanukkah, but not before the twins put in motion plans to get their two favourite adults moving in the right direction...towards each other.


**Eighth Night - Light Up the Night 2 **

_**A/N 1:**__ This is the sequel to Light Up the Night. This is the Holiday gift work for the lovely Ohmygaybulls**t on F&F discord. _

_**A/N 2:**__ Chanukkah in 2006 started on First Night -Friday 15__th__ December, but because of the fact Jewish festivals start the evening before the day, while Saturday 23__rd__ is the last day of Chanukkah, 8__th__ night candle lighting is on Friday 22__nd__. Oh and Chanukkah Semeach (Pronounced Semayak) basically means Happy Chanukkah. We call the Chanukkah Menorah a Chanukkiah because as Mayim Bialik notes, "All Chanukkiahs are Menorahs but not all Menorahs are Chanukkiahs."_

_**A/N 3:**__Sufganiyah/ot are Israeli style jam filled doughnuts covered with powdered sugar. They are so light and delicious they are to die for. In the 20__th__ century doughnuts have become a popular treat during Chanukkah because they are fried in oil._

_**A/N3**__: I'm a British Liberal Jew and we use the Sephardi rather than Ashkenazi pronunciation of Hebrew (Shabbat instead of Shabbos is a prime example.) and while I know a lot of American Reform continue using Ashkenazi I also know several Reform Congregations that have started to opt for the Sephardi, so I've had Andy use the Sephardi, because quite frankly the Ashkenazi grates on my nerves. (The pronunciation of modern Hebrew is the Sephardi as well.) _

_**A/N4:**__ If you have any problems with the change up in pet names for people I've chosen to use I have but one thing to say...lighten up and take a breath I was trying something different._

**Disclaimer: **_Last time I looked my passport didn't say Weisberger, or 20__th__ Century Fox, so I ain't them. Nothing is mine, I make no money from my scribbles. Go on and sue me if you must, I'll enjoy reading femslash out loud in court. _

"Mom! Mom! You've got to come and see this! You won't believe it!"

Miranda cocked her head listening to the enthusiastic bellows of her offspring coming from the floor above, before smiling and continuing with her task. She knew the girls would soon follow their voices. Their family morning meals on the weekends had become a regular occurrence a month or so after the divorce began, giving her a chance to properly catch up with her daughters' lives and give them a sense of stability, a sense that Miranda found herself appreciating as much as her children.

Cracking and separating eggs into a bowl, one yolk for three whites, she continued making the omelettes she was preparing, glancing at the turkey bacon in the other pan to see how it was crisping. Normally she would have made the treat of pancakes or French toast on a Saturday morning, but given their indulgence of latkes and chocolate the previous evening she decided on the healthier option of veggie omelettes. Seasoning the eggs she had just started to whisk them when the rumble of running feet ended with the twins bursting into the kitchen faces bright with excitement.

"Mom, you've gotta come see what Andy did in the study, it's freaking awesome!" Cassidy exclaimed breathlessly.

"Seriously Mom, she's left like a gazillion presents by the Chanukkiahs." Caroline continued while her twin caught her breath.

Smiling and with a teasing note in her voice Miranda answered while she carefully poured the egg mixture into the pan in front of her.

"I think you'll find it's significantly less than a gazillion Bobbsey. In fact if you counted you'd find they number just 21."

"You counted them Mom?" the girls chorused moving automatically to set the table for breakfast. The rhythm of this routine though still new, warmed them with a sense of connection punctuated by contented smiles on all their faces. Plating the omelettes and the turkey bacon for the girls, Miranda moved to the table and the waiting twins.

"No I did not count them Bobbsey, but there are seven nights of Chanukkah left and there are three of us, I simply did the maths."

"Math Mom, not maths." came the faux exasperated response to Miranda's slip into her native English idiom. Miranda smirked at her offspring's cheekiness and to their delight replied like she sometimes did with the famous Gershwin lyric.

"Tomaytoe – Tahmahtoe."

"Potaytoe – Pawtawtoe?" They chorused back before looking at each other and finishing. "Who says Pawtawtoe?" Giggling they turned back to their mother's indulgent gaze and started to dig into their breakfast.

"Mom can we call Andy to thank her for all the presents." Cassidy mumbled around a mouthful of omelette.

"Please don't speak with your mouth full Cassidy." Miranda invoked the admonition of mothers everywhere but then surprised both girls into further smiles and laughter with her final point. "It's way gross."

Swallowing, Cassidy continued, "Sorry Mom, but can we? Andy's great, she's gotten us all those presents and we want to thank her."

Miranda smiled at her daughter, pleased with her enthusiasm and gratitude not to mention mentally echoing the little redhead's estimation of her assistant, Andrea was indeed 'great'.

"Well Bobbseys I agree we must thank Andrea, but I was thinking of something more than just a phone call, I thought maybe we should go out this morning and do a little gift shopping ourselves. We need to find eight different things for Andrea if we want to be even."

"But there are only seven days left of Chanukkah, why eight presents Mom?"

"Well we got presents last night, but did Andrea?"

"Oh, yeah I guess not." Cassidy replied chagrined. "I think she had a good time with us though."

Caroline had been quietly eating her breakfast, which was usual for them, she allowed her twin to expend her exuberance while she thought about things and considered as many angles as she could before committing anything to speech. Recalling the details of the previous night an idea struck for one of the presents to give Andy.

"Hey Mom do you think we could find a Jewish store where we could get Andy a new Chanukkiah? Maybe something a little more grown up and personal like ours?"

"That's a delightful idea Bobbsey, unfortunately we won't be able to get it today."

"Why not?" Cassidy interjected. Her sister rolled her eyes at her before replying.

"It's Shabbat doofus, Jewish people can't work on Shabbat."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

"Caroline, don't call your sister names. You've both only started learning about Judaism with Andrea I'm sure you don't remember everything about Rosh Hashanah or Shabbos." Miranda raised her eyebrow a little and gave an almost imperceptible nod toward Cassidy.

"Sorry Sid. It's a great idea though, what kind of theme do you think we should look for?"

The rest of their breakfast was spent discussing possible gifts for Andrea and what shops they would need to go to in order to find them. Obviously not knowing yet what Andy's gifts to them were, she understood they would probably be small very personal nick knacks consistent with Andy's budgetary limits. Miranda had been afraid the girls would suggest a list of extravagant and expensive gifts she would have to veto in order not to make Andy feel uncomfortable about receiving them, but luckily the girls seemed to be intent on the personal touch and not the expensive one.

Several hours later the trio were taking a rest from navigating the mass of Christmas shoppers, by enjoying some lunch at a favourite bistro not too far from their house. The twins had been full of gift ideas of fairly simple presents like music CDs and DVDs they knew Andy would like, and casual but trendy clothing choices. That said, Miranda broke the inexpensive rule herself at least for one of the presents. They had been making their way through the makeup and perfume department of Macy's when she caught the tendrils of a delicate scent someone was sampling at a counter. Something visceral in her reacted to it and she just knew that it would warm to Andrea's skin and become positively intoxicating. She didn't even blink at the $350 price tag, Andy wouldn't know the cost and this was simply the perfect scent for the young woman. She also didn't examine her choice of such a personal and intimate gift too closely, she was not quite ready to address what might or might not be developing between herself and Andrea.

"Mom, I still think we should have gotten eight presents from each of us for Andy."

"I know you want Andrea to know how much you like her Cassidy but don't you think it would be a bit overwhelming for her to receive 24 presents out of the blue like that?"

"But she got that many presents for us, and we only got her little things…."

"Enough Bobbsey, I didn't restrict us to just 8 gifts as I originally intended, I'm sure Andrea will be very happy with what we're giving her. Can we consider the subject closed now please?"

"Okay, I guess, but we still have to get her a Chanukkiah before Eighth Night."

Miranda kept the smirk from her lips at the small scowl still on Cassidy's face at not getting her way, she knew her daughter's tenacity would serve her well in later life but being her parent it was a bit of a trial. Turning back to her coffee and her miniature mince pie she was reminded of the reason the bistro was one of her favourite places for family time, the English owners sprinkling of treats from her homeland on the menu throughout the year was just too tempting. Mince pies had been a treat she used to share with her mother, the small and harmlessly non-kosher rebellion being a secret they kept from her rigidly kosher father.

Across town Andy was busily transferring a batch of fresh Sufganiyot from a blue and white bakery box to a large plate, trying not to get the powdered sugar everywhere and avoiding the stickiness of the oozing jam in the delicious jelly doughnuts in the process. As much as she loved cooking latkes during Chanukkah, after her one disastrous attempt at making the traditional Israeli treats she wisely decided to leave Sufganiyot making to the professionals. Dusting the sugar from her fingers she surveyed her kitchen table with satisfaction, several large platters of various party foods and covered plates of latkes, bowls of sour cream and applesauce and the large plate of jelly doughnuts were all surrounded by multiple piles of silver and gold foil wrapped chocolate coins with numerous colourful plastic dreidls beside them. On the kitchen counter an assortment of cups, soft drinks and some alcohol were arranged including a large thermos/carafe of coffee and one of hot chocolate, this was an early evening party and she wanted to be sure there was something for everyone to enjoy.

Satisfied with her preparations Andy glanced at the clock and ran to the bathroom to hurriedly make herself presentable before her guests arrived. Humming happily in the shower she thought about the wonderful way this holiday season was compared with the previous one. Last year had been muted and pared down to the minimal lighting of candles and small gift exchanges with Nate, Lily and Dougie, it had hardly been a holiday let alone a celebration. This year might be filled mostly with new people, Nate and Lily now long gone from her life, but she felt they were at last the right people for her, all in their different ways. Dougie was still with her, her best friend since 5th grade, she now felt she fitted in better at work, she had a whole group of new friends and acquaintances from her synagogue and best of all were the wonderful blossoming relationships with Miranda and the twins. Smiling at herself in the mirror she realised her life was full, just as her apartment was soon going to be she thought, her grin growing in brightness while she ran to answer the first door buzz of the late afternoon.

Horns honked and tempers simmered in the slow moving and sometimes blocked Christmas traffic that held a surprisingly calm Miranda Priestly in its clutches. She tapped her gloved hand on the steering wheel and glanced in the rear view mirror noting the girls in the back seat engrossed in something on one of their phones. The fashion maven was still a bit stunned at how she came to be driving to Brooklyn at 5:00pm on a Saturday evening. When they'd returned to the townhouse to wrap their haul of presents, Miranda had somehow allowed the twins to convince her that it was imperative they drop Andy's presents off at her apartment today. The children's argument that they didn't want Andy to be presentless for the next six nights paired perfectly with Miranda's simple but intense desire to enjoy the younger woman's company outside the constraints of work; a desire that seemed to grow exponentially after each personal visit between them.

Nearly a half hour later Miranda heaved a grateful sigh when she spotted someone pulling away from a parking space only half a block from Andy's apartment and she neatly slid the mid-sized SUV into the spot. A few moments later she caught up to her daughters who had run ahead and were now waiting for her with Caroline holding the apartment door open and urging her to hurry. They headed up the three flights just as they had only a few weeks before when they had visited to make Havdalah and have dinner with Andy as part of her tutorials about Shabbat. The smile the memory had caused to erupt on Miranda's face slipped a little when she heard the unmistakeable sounds of a large gathering coming from the other side of Andrea's door and she realised they really should have called first. Her initial instinct to withdraw immediately was pre-empted when Caroline's knocking saw the door swing open instantaneously allowing the three new comers a clear view of the joyful party in progress.

"Chag Semeach Chanukkah! Come on in, coats go on the bed through there, food's in the kitchen and the first dreidl finals are just heating up in the living room."

The smiling stranger ushered them inside, Miranda tried to scan the crowded apartment for the

familiar brunette but couldn't see her anywhere until Cassidy pressed straight forward through the jovial crowd making for the hidden couch and coffee table in the living area.

"Andy! Why didn't you invite us to your party?"

The young girl's unexpected voice pulled Andy's attention away from what she was doing and her dreidl went shooting off the low table mid spin.

"Half-Pint! What are you…" Andy looked up to the girl and over her shoulder seeing Caroline and their mother coming up behind the first twin.

"Miranda, Munchkin, what a wonderful surprise!"

Andy abandoned the current dreidel pot and gave up her place at the coffee table to someone else focusing her attention on her unexpected guests. Standing up she gave Cassidy a shoulder squeeze and answered the girl's question.

"I'm sorry Half-Pint, this was just a little get together of friends from my Synagogue and I didn't think you'd want to be bored with me two days in a row, but wow, what a great surprise for me now you're here eh? How lucky am I?"

Andy had in fact contemplated inviting them to the party, but she was very conscious of not wanting Miranda to feel she was over doing things in their arrangement about teaching the girls. The warm glow inside her chest at their unexpected arrival translated to a huge smile and genuine kisses on the cheeks for all three of the Priestly visitors.

"Let's go take care of your coats first shall we." She started to lead them down the small hall to the bedroom.

"Andrea there's no need, really. We just stopped by for a moment for the girls to say thank you for your wonderful presents and to drop off these for you." Miranda stiffly stood her ground and held out the bags toward the brunette.

"Awww Mooom!" The girls expressed their stereo disappointment with their mother's announcement.

Andy didn't answer right away merely taking Miranda's hand, bags and all, and gently pulling her down the hall and into the bedroom, Caroline and Cassidy trailing right after. Once inside the room Andy shut the door and turned to Miranda before setting the bags down on the floor and moving further into the room. She pushed the coats over on the bed and sat in the small space cleared beckoning the children forward with her hand but looking up at Miranda when she spoke.

"I'm really glad you liked my little surprise and you're very welcome for the presents, they're just a few little things I think you'll all like."

She hugged a girl into either side of her but still watched Miranda standing stiffly near the door. It was obvious her boss really wasn't comfortable and Andy suspected it wasn't the party itself that made her uneasy, but rather the fact the others there were all from her Synagogue. Making a decision she squeezed the girls again and encouraged them out of their jackets before she pushed them toward the door a little.

"Girls, why don't you go into the living room and see if they've started the next round of dreidls. You might recognise Ruth from Temple, she's the one wearing the lavender head scarf, ask her to get you some Chanukkah gelt so you can play for a little bit. I'm just going to have a quick word with your Mom."

The twins grinned but looked to their mother for confirmation and she slipped to the side opening the door for them to scoot through before shutting it after them. Andy pushed the coats further up to the headboard before signalling Miranda to sit beside her which she did after a moment of hesitation.

The younger woman had noticed over the past four months that Miranda was reasonably comfortable with re-embracing the domestic aspects of Judaism but shied away from anything to do with communal worship or mention of Synagogue. Andy had been careful to respect Miranda's limits but had also been honest and always answered any questions the girls asked her about anything to do with Judaism, including getting Miranda's permission for the girls to go with her to the morning Shabbat service at her Synagogue about a month previously when she'd taken care of the twins one weekend because no one else had been available due to their nanny's broken leg and Miranda needing to be at a business meeting. Watching Miranda and her continued unease Andy searched for the right words to make her comfortable enough to stay.

"We've already done Havdalah and lit second night candles, all the prayers are done and out of the way, it's just a holiday party with a group of friends Miranda. Although most of them are from Temple, no one is going to corner you to test your Yiddishkeit levels."

Andy was rewarded with an incongruously elegant snort from the woman beside her, and she smiled seeing the tension leave Miranda's shoulders a little, her grin growing at the added eye roll from her companion.

"It would be great if you could stay a while, I could introduce you to the artist who made your Chanukkiah. That is if you don't mind a little starry eyed adulation."

Miranda's lips quirked ever so slightly when she looked up at Andy already seeing a look of soft but earnest adoration gracing her companions face. Getting a little lost in her own sense of admiration for the woman beside her, Miranda stood up drawing Andy with her by their clasped hands.

"Well then, far be it from me to deny the masses a chance to worship the Devil." Her mischievous grin was full and accompanied by a knowing twinkle in her eye. Andy tipped her head back in laughter before nodding her agreement and heading for the door.

"You should take the presents numbered one and two from the bags Andrea, the girls were quite anxious that you not miss out on receiving your presents for the first two nights of Chanukkah."

Andy rummaged in the bags near her feet before pulling two brightly wrapped presents out and moving to open the door.

"You really didn't have to get me anything Miranda, but thank you, it's really sweet of you all to think of me." Andy watched the slight dusting of pink colour Miranda's cheeks and before she could over think anything she gently kissed the pink cheek nearest her before opening the door and leading her boss back out to the party.

Miranda and the girls stayed for nearly two hours before Miranda insisted it was time to brave the traffic back to Manhattan. Despite her misgivings the party had been a pleasant experience, she'd enjoyed talking to Miriam, the artist who had created her Chanukkiah. The young woman was personable and quite talented, she'd nearly fainted when Miranda asked to see more of her work and chewed her lip the entire time the older woman was scrolling through the gallery on her phone. The twins had enjoyed themselves hugely, winning another small chocolate fortune in Chanukkah Gelt and getting everyone dancing to a joyful selection of Maccabeats and Fountain Heads Chanukkah themed song covers. The latter bit of fun had included an impromptu break dancing contest to see who could be the best human dreidl.

Andy had opened her presents and showed her appreciation with yet another round of thank you hugs and kisses for all three of her benefactors. The fact that she had unthinkingly included Miranda in three affectionate kisses in one evening was a detail she chose to attribute to the joyousness of the season. She wasn't oblivious to her growing feelings for her boss or her boss's possible feelings for her, but decided she'd deal with the issue after the holidays, for now she would simply bask in the pleasant warmth of gentle, friendly affection.

On each of the subsequent evenings the candles were lit, prayers said and presents opened in both the Priestly townhouse and Andy's apartment. With candles burning ever brighter in the two windowsills it somehow became part of the ritual for the twins to call Andy after opening their presents to discuss them and express mutual thanks. The girls made a point each night of handing the phone off to their mother when they were done before immediately taking their presents and leaving Miranda to finish the interchange with Andy on her own. Somehow each evening their chats lengthened neither woman anxious to end the personal connection that was growing as they shared details about their lives they never would have dreamed of sharing at Runway.

Miranda had a business dinner on Wednesday so the girls lit the candles on their own, not forgetting to light Miranda's chanukkiah as well. Their chat extended to fill the time their mother would usually talk with Andy with the twins excitedly sharing their Christmas travel plans. As much as they were enjoying their new experience of Chanukkah, they were still looking forward to celebrating their family Christmas traditions as well.

Andy had been careful to be respectful of the twins mixed faith background given that their father was, at least nominally, a Presbyterian and she certainly enjoyed the girls' enthusiastic plans and excitement about spending extended time with their mother over the holiday.

An hour or so after their call to Andy, Cassidy plonked down on her sister's bed, tapping her twin's leg to get her attention.

"Wassup Sid?" looking at her sister chewing her lower lip, Caroline wrapped her earbuds round her fingers before giving her pensive twin her full attention. Cassidy picked at the covers and continued to chew her lip for a few minutes before finally whispering her thoughts.

"I think mom really likes Andy."

"What's not to like? Andy's Awesome, Mom says she's great at work and well everything really."

Cassidy rolled her eyes at her sister's reply.

"Not what I meant Linny, I mean she '_like'_ likes her, you know? And I think Andy '_like'_ likes Mom too."

Caroline blinked in surprise at the idea at first but upon reflection she quickly came to the same conclusion. I mean not only was Andy allowed to come to the townhouse just to spend time teaching them about Judaism, but her Mom had actually gone with them to Andy's house for dinner! She'd gone to her assistant's house! Caroline didn't think her Mom had even been to Nigel's house and he was her closest friend.

"Wow! I think you're right Sid. I mean she actually kisses Andy's cheek and lets her kiss her cheek, not air kisses even, the real thing. She's never done that with any other assistant." She paused to let the idea sink in and figure out how she felt about the idea of her Mom liking a girl, and more particularly Andy. As was her habit Cassidy remained silent beside her, waiting for her sister's input before volunteering her own. After a good five minutes, Caroline spoke up.

"Huh, well I think it's okay, I guess Mom is bisexual then, and Andy too because she had a boyfriend before. Not that it matters to me, and well I like Andy, at least she actually pays attention to us and answers our questions about stuff." Thinking about a private conversation she'd had with Andy about a problem she was having at school, she smiled and added. "All kinds of stuff, not just about Judaism. Well so long as she doesn't hurt Mom, I'm okay with it Sid.

Cassidy smiled and nodded her head. "Me too Linny. I mean Andy is like a million times better than stinky old Stephen, and she makes Mom laugh and smile all the time. That means she makes Mom happy." After a very short pause she added. "She makes me happy too Linny."

"Yeah I know, like I said, Andy is great." Caroline lapsed into silence for a few minutes before looking up at her unusually quiet sister. "Spill it Sid, what are you thinking?"

"Well, if Mom likes Andy, and Andy likes Mom and we both like Andy too, what's our plan?"

Caroline raised an eyebrow, "Plan? What do you mean plan?"

"You know what I mean. How do we get them to admit they like each other and more importantly that they '_like'_ like each other? Andy won't say anything first because she'd be afraid to lose her job and Mom won't say anything because Andy works for her and she could get sued for harassment or something if she says something first. So Linny-Loo what do we do?" Cassidy didn't say anything more just waited for her sister to respond. She had a few minutes wait before Caroline finally spoke.

"This is going to take some thought Sid. I'm going to think about it overnight, you do the same and let's see if we have any ideas by tomorrow."

Plan in place both girls settled in for the night remaining deep in sleep even when their mother came in near midnight to kiss her darlings goodnight. Retiring to her own room her heart warmed at the sight of the small present and note on her pillow. _' Dear Mom, Don't forget to open your present from Andy. See you in the morning. Love, Your Bobbseys.'_ What a pleasant ending to what had been a boring night of business Miranda thought as she prepared for bed.

In the early hours of the morning Caroline slipped into Cassidy's bed and nudged her still slumbering sister awake.

"Come on Sid, wake up already."

"Linny, the house better be on fire, what time is…" A grumpy Cassidy looked over at her unicorn alarm clock blinking at the time of 6;30am. "Linny! Why are you waking me up at 6:30 on a school holiday!? Come back later I want to sleep." With that she rolled over clutching the covers tightly over her head. Not deterred in the least Caroline started pulling the covers back toward her side of the bed drawing her sister who was still clinging tightly to them along as well.

"Wake up Sid! This was all your idea in the first place."

Still grumbling Cassidy reluctantly sat up in the bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"What are you talking about? What was my idea?"

"Mom and Andy." Caroline huffed impatiently at her sister's continued look of confusion. "How they _'like'_ like each other? Getting them to admit it to each other? Ring any bells?"

"Oh, right gotcha…so what's the plan then genius type twin?" The mild teasing tone was the norm between them as was the acknowledgement of their respective strengths, Caroline being the brainy bookish one and Cassidy being the more artistic and sporty one.

"I noticed on Friday and even more on Saturday that the longer Mom and Andy are together outside of work, the more relaxed Mom gets? Andy too I guess, but like on Saturday Mom was nearly glued to Andy's side by the end of the party, and she was always touching her hand or her arm or her back like all night."

"Yeah so, what do you want to do lock them in a room together like in the Parent Trap?" She couldn't help but giggle at the absurdity of her Mom ever being dim enough to fall for the tricks the twins in her favourite film had come up with.

Caroline rolled her eyes at that but then hunkered down to outline the idea she'd come up with sometime in the middle of the night. Cassidy was impressed and agreed the plan was good, offering her own take on how best to achieve their desired outcome. One detail they'd agreed on immediately was that they needed to spring their idea on their Mom and Andy while they were together in the same place. A half hour of wrangling and discarding different ideas to achieve this, finally resulted in a plan they thought would work and they rushed down stairs to catch their mother before she went to work to set things in motion.

Andy glanced at her watch for the third time in as many minutes before craning her neck to look through the nearly bumper to bumper traffic. She'd run the last of the out of office errands for the day save one her boss didn't know about and needed to get back for the long evening of work ahead. For the first time in memory, Miranda had decreed that Runway was going to be all but closed for the full week from Christmas to New Year's. Only a skeleton crew would rotate over the work days between the holidays to answer phones and take care of a few time sensitive tasks that absolutely had to be done. The upshot of the Dragon Lady's generosity of course had been a near hellish week of 12 to 16 hour days for most employees to make up for the break…before it even happened.

Heaving a sigh of relief Andy spotted the grey town car only seconds before Roy pulled up to the kerb beside her. Opening the passenger door she glanced in the back seat and was greeted by the reason Roy was so late, two beaming and excited redheads. Each girl had an arm resting on a large cooler set on the seat between them. Andy threw them an answering grin and buckled up so Roy could inch back into the traffic flow.

"Hey Munchkin, Hey Half Pint, we all set?" Andy looked over the seat and noted another cooler on the floor beside the girls' school bags. "Whoa, did you have Cara pack everything in the fridge?" She grinned at the giggling twins.

"Cara made enough for an army, she said Nigel and Emily and the others might like some too, she even did a special grilled chicken salad just for Emily, it's only 400 calories but it looks really good." Caroline patted the cooler as she explained

"Mom still doesn't know right Andy?" Cassidy questioned.

Andy spent the remainder of the journey assuring the twins that she had set everything up as they'd discussed earlier that morning. Andy had made sure Miranda's schedule was clear from 7 to 8pm and Emily and Nigel had agreed to act as interception against anything that might crop up in that time. She'd thought it was sweet the girls wanted to surprise their hard working mother by bringing supper to Runway to share the meal with Miranda but limit the disruption it would cause. That they'd insisted Andy share that supper with them had left a pleasant and warm feeling in her chest throughout the day.

Emily heard them coming down the hall even before they appeared around the corner Andy juggling several bags and the larger cooler and the twins shouldering their bags and carrying the second cooler between them. Although Andy had managed to smooth things over with her co-corker after Paris and they now had a good working relationship and even a mild friendship, Emily was still Emily including her natural sharpness, very much in evidence in her immediate comment at their arrival in front of her desk.

"Well I see they've brought your dinner Andrea what about Miranda's?"

The twins chuckled and laughed even louder when they saw Andy roll her eyes at her workmate.

"Be nice Em or I'll convince the girls not to give you Cara's surprise she made just for you."

Emily took breath for a pithy comeback but paused before saying anything, Cara was noted for her cooking skills and she hadn't eaten a thing all day, as if acting on her thought her stomach suddenly rumbled incredibly loudly causing Andy and the twins to nearly double over howling in laughter.

The unfamiliarly joyful sound filtered into Miranda's office rousing the overworked dragon to emerge from her lair and investigate. When she appeared in the doorway the laughter stopped abruptly but she was pleased to see only Emily looked worried about her reaction, her girls and Andrea continued to grin in good humour the former running to embrace their mother.

"Surprise! We brought dinner." Cassidy exclaimed still in a semi giggle.

Caroline hefted her school bag and added. "And a chanukkiah so we can light the candles together tonight."

Their intentions declared the girls quickly corralled Miranda back into her office and urging her to take a seat they began setting up the contents of their cooler on the round table in the corner of the room. Cara had packed everything they would need including cutlery, napkins and drinks. Caroline finished setting four places while Cassidy eagerly rummaged in her school bag grabbing a box from which she pulled out and unwrapped Miranda's personal chanukkiah of designer shoes. Going over to the wide window ledge she set it down and put the seven candles plus the servant candle in place before putting their three presents from Andy around the base.

Andy hefted the second cooler onto her desk and lifted the lid immediately spotting the container with Emily's name on it. Turning she found the woman in question staring at the cooler with a look of pure lust on her face. Andy laughed out loud and handed over the container and some cutlery laughing even harder at the look of disinterest the red head tried to force onto her face even as she greedily snatched the container of food.

"Enjoy Em. Cara went all out. There's plenty here for Nigel and the others why don't you give them a call to come on down to the conference room." Andy chuckled again and took the cooler to the conference room herself before heading back to Miranda's office. She wasn't sure how Miranda would feel about her joining them for dinner here at the office so wanted to give the girls the time to clear it with their mother first. Pausing to grab a small wrapped parcel from her desk drawer, she knocked gently on the half open door before sticking her head around it to see how things were going.

"Hurry up Andy we want to light the candles before we eat." Cassidy eagerly invited her in from where she was standing by the chanukkiah match box in hand.

"Please join us Andrea, the girls have obviously decided you're an integral part of this office picnic."

Andy moved forward cautiously, taking careful note of Miranda's body language and tone for any hints of displeasure or even anger but relaxed when all she saw was amusement and a hint of something she wanted to call affection but wouldn't press her luck on that interpretation. She made her way over to the little group and popped her small parcel beside the other three on the window sill before accepting the box of matches from Cassidy. She then handed the box off to Miranda who raised an eyebrow in question.

"Well when the girls told me about their plans this morning I suggested we only use the one chanukkiah, and that as it was your office we should probably use yours." She grinned a little sheepishly at the older woman who merely quirked a half smile and accepted the box and the explanation.

"An excellent decision Andrea, After all we wouldn't want to set the sprinklers off with 32 candles blazing in here at the same time."

Miranda lit the servant candle and they all said the blessings as she lit the seven others from left to right just as she'd done when she was a child. She looked down at the happy faces of her children seeing the candle flame reflected in their pale eyes and was overcome with a sudden wave of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her until she felt a gentle touch on her arm and looked up into the warm smile on Andrea's face. Such a loving look squeezed Miranda's heart further but somehow the constriction was freeing in some unfathomable way. Andy moved closer into her side and squeezed her arm once more and throwing caution to the wind Miranda rewarded her with a full and genuine smile. Miranda placed her hand over Andy's to keep it there before she returned her focus to the twins who were taking turns reading from the day's chapter of the story of the Maccabees.

As they read she knew that this would become a new family tradition for them, one that pulled the disparate strands of Miranda's life past, present and future, together into a continuous and now much stronger cord. She felt somehow more complete than she could ever remember being before in her life. Casting a sidelong glance at the brunette beside her she knew who she had to thank for that and rather unexpectedly she felt she wanted to show her appreciation somehow, in some connected way. Glancing back to the brightly burning flames an idea came to her and she concentrated hard trying to bring back the words she needed. When the twins had finished their recitations Miranda stood straighter and began to sing, hesitantly at first but with more confidence as the familiar Hebrew words flowed from her lips.

"Ma'oz Tzur Yeshu'ati, lekha na'eh leshabe'ah…."

The twins were spell bound, they remembered their mother singing them lullabies when they were much younger but it had been several years since they had heard her sweet and steady singing. Andy stood transfixed her gaze moving between the twins loving adoration and the vision that was Miranda, eyes shut in concentration as her lovely voice gave depth and meaning to the ancient hymn. When Miranda was nearing the end of the song Andy joined in and they sang the final stanza and refrain in perfect harmony.

When the song stopped the twins threw themselves into Miranda's arms full of praise and exclamations of how good it was to hear her sing again with a request for her to teach them the words tagged on at the end. Miranda held them close and responded to what they said but the entire time her eyes were fixed on Andy standing quietly behind the twins, eyes shimmering with unshed tears and a look of unmistakeable adoration.

With the candles burning brightly the four opened their presents and then sat down to the delicious meal waiting for them. The twins immediately took control of the conversation, Caroline especially guiding the direction and subject matter to their end of term activities at school.

"The multi faith holiday presentations were really good and we got to help out in the Jewish presentation this year." Caroline paused to grin and give a thumbs up to Andy.

"Becca Stein loved my chanukkiah and said she's gonna ask for the same one for next Chanukkah."

Cassidy laughed and added, "Becca was all stuck up about how much more Jewish she was than us because her whole family is Jewish too. But then her latkes were terrible they were burnt on the outside and raw in the middle. Ours were much better, even if one of them sort of fell apart in the pan."

Caroline picked up smoothly where Cassidy left off. "On Tuesday we all got to describe our individual family holiday traditions so we talked about our Christmas traditions because well, we're only doing Chanukkah for the first time so it's not tradition yet."

"It will be Bobbsey, we'll do this again next year I promise." Miranda smiled at her daughters and included Andrea in the smile, acknowledging in her heart at least that she hoped the younger woman would be part of the next celebration.

"It has to be the exact same for it to be a tradition though Mom." Cassidy pointed out before turning to Andy. "That means you have to come for First and Eighth night candle lighting again Andy."

"I'll put that in my diary Half-Pint and if I'm in New York and you are too I'll be there." Andy smiled to hide the small wave of melancholy she felt at the thought of possibly not being in their lives to share another holiday season.

The room was silent for a few minutes as they all seemed to contemplate the future while watching the now flickering lights from the diminishing candles in the window. Caroline decided this pause was a good opening for her to set things in motion. She used her foot to nudge her sister's leg under the table to get her attention before she spoke.

"Andy, did anyone in your family ever have a Christmas tree? Becca says her Uncle puts up a tree because he's circular Jew and he doesn't celebrate festivals."

Andy kept her laughter at bay at the little girl's word choice but made sure not to look in Miranda's direction just in case. Swallowing a chuckle she smiled before responding to the question.

"Um, I think you mean Becca's Uncle is a 'secular' Jew Munchkin, and that just means he's a Jew, by descent and culturally but not religiously. And yes some of my cousins identify as secular Jews and they have a Christmas tree and candy canes and a Christmas dinner, but they call their tree a Chanukkah bush, kind of as a joke. A lot of secular Jews here in America sort of mark Christmas as a general cultural celebration rather than a religious one, just like a lot of non-religious people that may have been brought up Christian but don't practice the religion also tend to do. "

Caroline nodded in understanding, then taking a big breath forged ahead with their plan.

"You know Andy, Cassidy and me really appreciate all you've taught us about Judaism this year. We like your family traditions the best, because they have neat stories attached to them and you're in them too." She paused to acknowledge the beaming smile from the brunette. " And well, we'd like to share some of our family traditions with you too, you know like everybody did at school."

Andy had come to really love the girls the more she interacted with them and was totally charmed by them wanting to share their own family traditions with her. Glancing shyly up at her boss, she acknowledged to herself that the chance to spend time with the private family Miranda certainly added to the appeal of their offer. She refocused on Caroline before replying.

"I'd love to hear about your traditions Munchkin. I could even start you off, I bet you always have a real tree, not an artificial one, right? And I bet the one you'll have this year will be huge because you're going to be way out in the country." She looked expectantly at Caroline waiting for her confirmation about her guess, her smile faltered a little as the little girl began to scowl and her pale eyebrows pulled together in what appeared to be an unpleasant thought.

"Andy I didn't mean we should just tell you about our Christmas stuff, we want to share the experience with you, like you've shared Shabbat and Chanukkah." The little red head didn't seem to notice Andy's small shudder at her using the word '_stuff'_ as she ploughed onward. "We want you to come and share Christmas with us so we can show you our traditions and you can help us do them."

Miranda and Andy's eyes immediately snapped to each other mirroring their mutual surprise at this turn of events. Andy searched Miranda's face trying to read beyond the initial shock for some clue to how to respond. For herself she wanted to jump at the chance to be part of the little family unit while they celebrated together, but was sure Miranda would never agree. Visiting for a few hours at a time at the townhouse and her apartment was a world of difference from spending several days in a remote house in the country together. The hard truth of that fact took hold of Andy as she tried to school her features to hide her disappointment and come up with a gentle way to express both her thanks for the invitation and her need to decline. She didn't get the chance however because Cassidy had become impatient with the drawn out silence and the strange looks on both her mother's and Andy's faces.

"Mom, we mean it, we really want Andy to come to the Hamptons with us for Christmas. In fact you can keep all my presents if you just let Andy come with us. And Andy don't say you can't come because you already told us you were just gonna veg out in your apartment for the week doing nothing but sleeping and watching movies."

Caroline was a bit appalled at Cassidy's brashness in giving up her presents, but her inner voice told her their mother would never actually follow through on such a plan, so she added her somewhat

more subdued support to her sisters pronouncement.

"Yeah, um that goes for me too."

Miranda blinked at this declaration from the daughters who had presented her with a total of eight pages worth of Christmas wishes at the start of December. Her own growing feelings aside she knew her daughters were becoming very attached to Andy, but she sensed there was something more going on with this request and its urgency than was readily apparent on the surface.

She sighed a little before she decided any sub plots the girls were up to would need to be investigated at a different time, right now she needed to deal with the invitation they'd extended to her Andrea. Could she really do this for her daughters? Would her Andrea accept the invitation? The use of that possessive phrase when thinking of her assistant twice in as many seconds brought her up short in her mind when she realised this was how she'd been thinking of the younger woman for many weeks now. She looked across at the younger woman whose facial expressions clearly showed her struggle to find a suitable answer for Cassidy's request, when her face finally settled in a gentle sorrow and she started to speak it spurred Miranda to a decision that might just be a leap of faith entirely appropriate to the seasons of both Chanukkah and Christmas.

"Listen girls, I don't…" The preamble to Andy's refusal was cut short and she was sent into an emotional spin when Miranda interrupted what she was saying.

"I think that's a lovely idea Bobbseys. Andrea, if you truly don't have any plans would you please join us for the holiday?" Miranda kept her face pleasant but fairly neutral wanting to allow Andy a way out if she didn't want to join them. The sudden spark of joy in the deep brown eyes of the younger woman when she registered what Miranda had said caused a warm feeling to squeeze around the older woman's heart.

Andy stared at Miranda not sure at first if she'd really heard what she thought she'd heard or if she was somehow having an auditory hallucination dictated by her inner desires. The stereo whoops of joy and fist pumps from the twins soon clarified the situation for her, but she needed to be absolutely certain.

"Are you sure Miranda. I mean I'd love to join you, but I don't want to intrude on your family time." When she saw the gentle smile form on Miranda's face she melted a little inside it was just so sweet.

"I'm sure Andrea. In fact you should pack a case and bring it with you tomorrow and stay at the townhouse, then we can get an extra early start on Saturday morning and hopefully avoid the worst of the holiday getaway traffic. Would that be acceptable?"

Her smile grew tender at the obvious happiness shining from Andy's eyes at her confirmation of wanting Andy with them for the holiday. A pleasant laugh was added to the expression when twin octopuses grappled her with death grip hugs that nearly pulled her from her chair. Miranda nearly missed the ghost whisper of her subconscious thought…_'my family.'_

"Well now that's been settled, let's get these things cleared away. Andrea and I still have work to get done if we want to be able to go away at all." The faux glare she pointed toward the mangled threesome on the chair garnished the pleased giggles and a smile she'd hoped for but also initiated the jump to immediate action of all three in clearing away the remains of their meal.

Ten minutes later Andy deposited the twins and the empty coolers in the town car with Roy with a hug and kiss for each and a heartfelt thank you for their invitation. Twin declarations of affection for her brought a tear or two as she watched the car pull away before she returned to the warmth of the building behind her.

The following day at 7:00pm Andy made her way up the steps of the townhouse pulling her medium sized suitcase behind her and hefting a bag of presents in her other hand. Most of her day had been spent running last minute errands for Miranda and she'd availed herself of the out of office activity to pick up a few more presents for the priestly women that she could put under their tree. She'd even had the time to wrap them thanks to Miranda exiting her office at 4:00pm and telling both her assistants to leave or she'd change her mind about giving them promised holiday. Andy had nearly split her sides trying not to laugh at the expression on Emily's face. It was like the different emotions of terror, surprise, confusion and gratitude tried to divide her face between them to express them all at once.

Reaching the door, she took a deep breath and pressed the bell, Miranda had been clear she was here as a guest not an employee and because of that she didn't feel right using her key. It was a matter of a few seconds before the door was jerked open and she was pulled inside by both girls and rushed through hanging her coat up before being dragged bodily to the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen she understood the girl's urgency, they were as they whined in tandem, starving, because Miranda had held dinner until Andy had arrived. Thanking her boss for the consideration they all enjoyed a pleasant meal, including the Sufganiyot Andy brought for dessert before they made their way up to the den to light the candles.

"Andy, you have to open your present before we light the candles." Cassidy stood in front of the brunette who was bent over getting her chanukkiah out of her handbag. "And you can leave that in your bag. Here open it, open it."

Andy sat in the chair behind her and followed the little girl's instruction, even ripping off the wrapping paper with speed and abandon much to twins giggling amusement. When she opened the box inside the wrapping she found a beautiful chanukkiah, the base of which was a curling half open scroll with Chag Semeach Chanukkah written in Hebrew on it. Above this were eight small quill pens with a much larger quill in the centre which incorporated the candle holders. Tears sprang to her eyes when she saw that the shamash quill had her Hebrew name, Hannah written on it.

"We got the quills and parchment because you're going to be a writer." Cassidy hugged her side, welcoming Andy's returning squeeze. Caroline came up on her other side and hugged her.

"Now next year you will have your own chanukkiah and could use your old one for our memorial chanukkiah. Like your family in Ohio does, only now we can do it here too."

"Oh wow! It's beautiful. Thank You all so much. I love it." Andy pulled them both close tucking their heads into her neck as she looked over at Miranda once again gracing her three favourite people with that gentle loving smile Andy had come to crave. She took a moment to get her tears and emotions in check, the girls once again having wreaked havoc on her heart with their belief in her presence and participation in their next Chanukkah celebration.

When they finally broke the hug Andy carefully placed her new chanukkiah beside the other three on the table and added her full set of candles. They repeated the formula they'd followed on First night and said the prayers, Andy and Miranda in Hebrew and the girls in English. Then Miranda lit her Shamash candle first and then all of the other's servant candles were lit from hers before they each lit their eight candles. They also added another Sachs family tradition as they each recited a mitzvah they hoped to achieve in the following year to rededicate themselves to bringing light to the world just as the Chanukkah candles gave them light tonight.

When all four chanukkiahs were burning brightly Caroline suddenly dashed from the room and pounded down the stairs much to Miranda and Andy's surprise. Cassidy however stood looking out the window struggling to keep a straight face. A minute later a decidedly out of breath Caroline came racing into the room and triumphantly placed a fire extinguisher in front of the table before cheekily declaring.

"Just in case."

Miranda smiled at her precocious offspring and the belly laughing, beautiful young woman joyfully trying to squeeze the stuffing out of both the twins. This was joy, this was life, this was what family should be like, she moved forward and wrapped Andrea in a one armed hug using the other to straighten Cassidy's hair. She caught Andrea's eye before leaning over and kissing her cheek thinking to herself, this is love and she hoped she would be successful in her mitzvah candle wish that this year she would truly let love into her life and heart.


End file.
